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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

LAUNCH PARTY FOR MY LADY QUICKSILVER

I almost can't believe October is upon us; it's been that
kind of year! And with it, I'm happy to announce, is the release of My Lady
Quicksilver, the third in my London Steampunk series.

Featuring the dutiful Sir Jasper Lynch, Master of the
Nighthawks, and Rosa, the leader of the humanist faction determined to restore
human rights in a blue blood world, My Lady Quicksilver is all about enemies
slowly falling in love with each other. For Rosa, Lynch is one of the very
creatures she seeks to bring down. As for Lynch, when he gets his hands on the
masked revolutionary he's looking for, duty dictates he should hand her over to
the Prince Consort for judgement.

So let me share a little about how the inspiration for Lynch came about. Here for your viewing pleasure, I give you Richard Armitage. In leather. (He just has that perfect steely smoulder for Lynch).

The Nighthawks of my London Steampunk world are all rogue
blue bloods - infected by the craving virus by chance not design, they're
considered illegal by the ruling aristocratic blue bloods. History dictated
that rogues were to be executed, until Jasper Lynch, all of fifteen years old
and stricken with the virus, stood before the court and put his case forward to
hunt miscreants, murderers and thieves. With their enhanced senses, speed and
healing capabilities, the rogues would be the perfect weapon to use against the
seedy underbelly of London life.

As the Nighthawk,
Lynch has never failed in his duty. Until now. When he first meets the masked
revolutionary Mercury and realises she's a woman... well... let's just say duty
doesn't always win.

Here's a little
excerpt of that meeting:

Lynch slammed one hand against the wall
beside her head, shuddering. “Curse you,” he whispered. Then his mouth bit at
hers hungrily and he was lost in her again.

Rosalind slid her hands over the corded
muscle of his throat, linking them behind his neck. It was a simple matter to
tug the glove from her mech hand. Dropping it carelessly, she groaned into his
mouth as his hand slid over her arse, tugging her against him hard.

A twist of the knuckle on her mech ring
finger and a sharp needle slid from the interior. Rosalind tasted his breath
and realized that she was stalling. She slid her hands over his shoulder, the
rasp of his stubble scraping her jaw.

Just another moment.

One more...

Her hips rode his and she threw her head
back, eyes glazed with passion. “I almost wish...” she gasped, “that I didn’t
‘ave to do this.”

Then she slid the needle into his neck
and injected the hemlock straight into his body.

Lynch stiffened, spasms racking him. “No.”
Slumping against her, he clawed at the wall to hold himself up, his knees
giving way.

Rosalind landed lightly on her feet, the
hard body pinning her to the wall. It was a good thing, for she wasn’t sure her
own knees would support her right now. She caught Lynch under the arms as he
gurgled something in his throat. Words she probably didn’t want to hear.

Laying him on the ground, she stepped
back, capping the needle neatly within her metal finger and twisting the
knuckle back into place. A sensation almost like
guilt licked at her.

A stupid thought. A dangerous one.
Sentiment had no part in her world. Nor emotion. Either could get her killed in
an instant.

Her knives were tucked behind
his belt. Lynch’s gaze
locked on hers and she realized what he was thinking.

Cut his throat now and there’d be no more
nighthawks on her trail, no more martial law. This would be a devastating blow
to the blue bloods that they might not recover from.

Her fingers slid over the knife hilt as
she took it, familiarity moulding it into her hand. Rosalind’s fingers clenched
unconsciously as she stared at him. It wouldn’t be the first blue blood she’d
ever killed.

Come on, my little falcon. Do it. You are
what you are, after all. What’s one more death?

She could almost hear Balfour whispering
in her ear. Lust died a quick death and bile rose in her throat. No. She
wasn’t his to command. Not anymore. She’d freed herself the moment she’d cut
her hand off.

It doesn’t matter. His whisper sickened her. I made you
what you are. And you can never escape that...

“No,” she whispered. Metal clanged and
she realized she’d dropped the knife.

Lynch twitched, a gurgling snarl in his
throat. She couldn’t tear her gaze from his. He knew, she realized. Knew that
she couldn’t do it. No, not couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

Fool. She shook her head and took a step back, her boots
crunching on old metal filings on the ground. She’d regret this. Tactically
this wasn’t the right choice. All of her training screamed at her to finish the
job.

Lynch’s fingers twitched. How long had he
been down for? One minute? Two? The amount of time the hemlock would paralyse
him depended on how high his craving virus levels were. If his CV levels were
high, then he might begin to regain control of his body before she’d fled the
scene. Not a thought to relish, especially with that look in his eyes.

Rosalind snatched her knife up again and
sheathed it in her boot. Sparks sprayed off a welding rig nearby. She crouched
low, looking to see if anyone had seen. If they had then Lynch’s life would be
in danger.

You don’t even have to wield the knife.
Just walk away and leave him here. Defenceless.

One second of hesitation. It would be so
easy... But something stopped her. A hitherto unknown sense
of mercy. This was the second time in as many months where she’d allowed
someone to live whom she probably shouldn’t have. Rosalind cursed under her
breath and bent low to grab his wrists. Dragging him behind a boiler, she hid
him from sight.

“I want you to know that you were
beaten,” she murmured, kneeling beside him. His eyes glittered in the shadows,
red furnace-light flickering over their dark depths. A promise of vengeance.
She nodded slowly, acknowledging it. This – what she had started here tonight –
would not end until one of them had the upper hand.

“I’ll come.... for you...” He
could barely speak, but the words sent a shiver down her spine.

A vow. A deadly promise.

Anticipation flared as she turned and
walked away. The world was bright with colour, her body still dancing with
energy. Awake. “I’ll watch for you then.”

The enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite themes in
a romance. What's your favorite? One
person who comments will receive a copy of My Lady Quicksilver (U.S. and
Canada only). Please leave your email with your comment so I can notify you
easily if you win!

Want to keep up to date with the London Steampunk series and exclusive
excerpts and giveaways? Sign up for my newsletter here.

MY LADY QUICKSILVER BY
BEC MCMASTER – IN STORES OCTOBER 2013

“I WILL COME FOR YOU…”

He will find her no
matter what. As a blue-blooded captain of the Nighthawk Guard, his senses are
keener than most. Some think he’s indestructible. But once he finds the elusive
Mercury, what will he do with her?

It’s his duty to turn her in—she’s a notorious
spy and traitor. But after one stolen moment, he can’t forget the feel of her
in his arms, the taste of her, or the sharp sting of betrayal as she slipped
off into the night. Little does Mercury know, no one hunts better than the
Nighthawk. And his greatest revenge will be to leave her begging for his touch…

Award-winning author Bec McMaster lives in a small town in Australia and grew up with
her nose in a book. A member of RWA, she writes sexy, dark paranormals and
steampunk romance. When not writing, reading, or poring over travel brochures,
she loves spending time with her very own hero or daydreaming about new worlds.
Read more about her at www.becmcmaster.com or follow her on
Twitter, @BecMcMaster.

Hi Bec! I'm an international reader so don't qualify for the giveaway (drats) but I couldn't resist posting when I saw your inspiration for Lynch. Richard Armitage is my absolute fav actor & inspiration as a person. I can't wait to read the book now (& I won't be able to get the photo out of my head).I've read Kiss of Steel & loved it.

@Fluser Ah, those good old villains! I really enjoy anti-heroes, so it is a lot of fun to see what an author can do with someone you think isn't redeemable - or even to find out why they are the way they are. One of my fave ex-villains is in Lisa Kleypas' Devil in Winter.

@Lil I just reread Beast the other day by Judith Ivory - one of my favourite fairytale romances. There are some good ones out there. I actually played a little with the Bluebeard myth in Forged by Desire, which is the book after this one, which was... interesting.

@catslady ooh, you definitely have to try steampunk - there are so many great writers putting it out at the moment. My series is strongly paranormal / historical as well, so its a mash up, if you like those genres.